DVD review
Directed by Tim Story
Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon
Release date 11 June 2007

When four astronauts are blasted by cosmic radiation, they pit their newfound super powers against similarly exposed metallic maniac Doctor Doom…

A surprise commercial success, despite the critical mauling it received on its initial release back in 2005, Fantastic Four is a deeply disappointing superhero experience. From the horribly flat acting to the script, which confuses blandness with light fun (something that was very much a part of the source comic book, which was never meant to be dark or angst-ridden), the movie is a joyless romp and a world away from the exuberance of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man or Bryan Singer’s X-Men.

It’s amazing and ever-so-slightly upsetting to see Mark Frost’s name on the credits. The writer who co-created Twin Peaks and its diverse cast of well realised characters should perhaps remove this banal entry from his CV, but sadly it’s symptomatic of the film that talent, such as the usually excellent Michael Chiklis and Ioan Gruffudd, is so shamefully squandered.

This inevitable special edition (timed to tie in with the current sequel) includes an extra 20 minutes that fills in some of the original cut's blanks, but does little to convince that the film is really any good. Whereas the alternative DVD version of Daredevil allowed for a complete overhaul of the film that fixed many of the problems of the theatrical version, Fantastic Four remains the same anodyne movie in any cut.

Once again, region two viewers get the raw end of the deal, with US fans getting a double disc set with audio commentaries and documentaries, while UK buyers get a bare-bones disc with only a brief documentary on The Silver Surfer, serving as an advertisement for the aforementioned sequel. Far from fantastic, and not even rating a four. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 3/10
A case of it being "Clobberin’ Time" for your wallets more than anything else.